The Joint Declaration of Fomboni

• Country/entity

  Comoros
  Anjouan
  
• Region

  Africa (excl MENA)
  Africa (excl MENA)
  
• Agreement name

  The Joint Declaration of Fomboni
• Date

  26 Aug 2000
• Agreement status

  Multiparty signed/agreed
• Interim arrangement

  Yes
• Agreement/conflict level

  Intrastate/intrastate conflict ( Anjouan Crisis (1997 - 2008) )
• Stage

  Pre-negotiation/process
• Conflict nature

  Government/territory
• Peace process

  Comoros-Anjouan islands peace process
• Parties

  For the Governmental Party
  Colonel AZALI Assoumani
  
  For the Anjouanaise Party
  Lt-Colonel ABEID Said
• Third parties

  -
• Description

  This short agreement states the commitment to establish “Nouvel Ensemble Comorien” (New Comorian Union). It also provides for the decentralisation of these different matters: Religion, Nationality, Currency, Foreign relations, External defence. It also defines the table for implementing and negotiating further the decentralisation process.

• Agreement document

  KM_000826_Joint Declaration Fomboni.pdf | Download PDF

Groups

Gender

State definition

Governance

Power sharing

Human rights and equality

Rights related issues

Rights institutions

Justice sector reform

Socio-economic reconstruction

Land, property and environment

Security sector

Transitional justice

Implementation

THE JOINT DECLARATION OF FOMBONI 26 AUGUST, 2000

In the process of negotiations initiated on 1 July, 1999 in Mohéli and founded on the Inter- Comorian Dialogue as a privileged framework for the resolution of the Comorian crisis,

The Signatories of the present declaration,

- animated by the firm will to come out quickly of the crisis through a just and durable

solution, taking into account the legitimate aspiration of the populations of the islands,

- taking note of the contribution of the International Community,

Have agreed about the establishment of a “Nouvel Ensemble Comorien” (New Comorian Union), sole subject of international right, within its frontiers acknowledged by the international community, respecting the legitimate aspirations of the people of the Islands to their development by strengthening and prioritising decentralised cooperation;

and whose fields of competence are enumerated below:

- Religion,

- Nationality,

- Currency,

- Foreign relations,

- External defence.

The exercise of these prerogatives must take into account the following considerations:

For:

RELIGION:

The Union must be rooted within Islam in the respect of the principles of tolerance, peace, social cohesion and solidarity characterizing it.

NATIONALITY:

It is subjected to the Union.

It must be represented on all pieces of identity, particularly the passport where the island of delivery must be stated.

CURRENCY:

The parties are of the opinion that a joint currency is a factor of development of exchange within the Union.

They recommend the maintaining of the Comorian Franc in the “Franc Zone” as a factor promoting the accomplishment of the integration of the Union.

FOREIGN RELATIONS:

In regards to foreign relations, the emphasis is put on the development of islands that remains the source, the target and the implementer of cooperation in all its dimensions.

EXTERNAL DEFENCE:

It is subjected to the Union.

In this matter, the latter [the Union] should fulfil, 1

in addition to its missions of protecting the frontiers, missions of conceiving, defining, organizing and accomplishing policies of military cooperation with its external partners.

The Parties convene that this list is not exhaustive and that further shared competencies could be defined.

Therefore the Parties decide to initiate a Tripartite Committee, benefiting from the help of experts, charged with the definition of the mechanisms and modes of functioning of the New Comorian Union with the help of the International Community.

For the continuation of the process an annexed time-table is established fixing the coming stages leading up to the submission to a referendum of the “Acte Fondamental” (Fundamental Act) which will rule the Union.

Given the significant outcome of the Inter Comorian Dialogue, which unequivocally shows the joint commitment to create favourable conditions for the reinforcement of a favourable climate for the pursuit of the [peace] process that has thus begun.

The Parties agree about the necessity to lift the embargo concerning Anjouan already at the signing of the present Declaration.

The Parties insistently ask the International Community to accompany these dynamics and to act with them for the total lifting of the embargo.

Time-table of the process of settling the crisis

This time-table, annexed to the Joint Declaration signed by the two Parties for the settlement crisis will spread over a period of 12 months maximum to be counted from the date of the signing of the Joint Declaration.

The stages and the respective length of each one of them are as follows:

1. Establishment of a Monitoring Commission in charge of practical decisions and monitoring their implementation from the signing of the Declaration to the establishment of the Institutions of the New Comorian Union.

2. Establishment of the Tripartite Committee and search for international expertise:

2 months.

3. Formulating the Draft Project of the Fundamental Act by the Tripartite Committee:

3 months.

4. General debate on the Draft Project of the Fundamental Act:

3 months.

5. Final edition of the Draft Project:

1 month.

6. Campaign for the adoption of the Fundamental Act:

1 month.

In its transitional dispositions, the Fundamental Act will set the time-table for the implementation of the new institutions within a period which will not exceed six months after the date of its adoption.

For the Governmental Party

Colonel AZALI Assoumani For the Anjouanaise Party Lt-Colonel ABEID Said